Grab your inner tube, snow disc, and toboggan and get ready for some crazy downhill snow racing with Sled Shred. Race well enough and you might have a chance to join the Jamaican Bobsled Team at the World Snow Games. Slide, battle, and race in the only sledding game on the Wii.

In Story Mode, Coach Mon will have a series of challenges for you as you race on sleds and bobsleds on the road to the World Snow Games. As you play, you’ll unlock new sleds and dozens of crazy racers. You can also race in free-play and customize your own circuit with tracks, obstacles, and power-ups. The sled racing parts are a little like Mario Kart while the bobsled portions are fairly unique time trials.

Sled Shred has a variety of control options. With the Wii remote and nunchuck, you can swing left and right to shove opponents out of the way as you race on sleds. And if you pick up any snowballs along the way, fling the Wii remote to toss snowballs to stun the other racers. But watch out because they can do the same to you! You can also use the remote only or the classic controller if you prefer. And if you have the Wii Balance Board, you can lean your whole body into the turns as you race.

Sled Shred has a few icy patches, though. The computer opponents can be challenging to the point of being unfair. You have to complete a whole story section for the game to save your progress. And the graphics are pretty horrible. But at only 20 bucks, at least the price is right.

Kid Factor:

Sled Shred is rated E for Everyone with an ESRB descriptor of Comic Mischief. You can throw snowballs and shove other racers, but that’s as violent as it gets. Kids will like the simple cartoony graphics and easy to learn controls. No reading skill is needed, but players may get frustrated at the tough computer opponents.

Tags: Game Reviews